Utah Travel Headlines Blog

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Explore The Land Of The Sleeping Rainbow

Capitol Reef is one of the most spectacular, yet one of the least visited of the US National Parks, according to this interesting narrative written by MC O'Bryant and published in The Norman Transcript (Norman, Oklahoma).

O'Bryant's prose is vibrant, as shown in these excerpts:

"The park’s delightful array of hoodoos and stunning vermillion cliffs has made it a must see, when touring Utah’s much ballyhooed, Standing up country..."

"Capitol Reef abounds with storied accounts of its early inhabitants ranging from early Mormon pioneers who envisioned building exalted communities where angels might abide, to an impenetrable hideaway for what could well be America’s most romanticized outlaws, Butch Cassidy and the Sun Dance Kid."

"As each new twist of the seemingly endless switchbacks brought into view an even more spectacular scene, she would plead with a mixture of fear and awe at the compelling beauty before us, 'Don’t look now!' 'Watch the road! Don’t look now! Don’t look now!'"

It is an enjoyable read. I think O'Bryant's words successfully depict the grander of this wonderland of rock.

However, I wasn't able to follow all of the twists and turns as he refers to specific roads and landmarks. I don't think the article was intended to be a travel guide suggesting specific routes; distances mentioned may not be exactly accurate.